By Sen. Mike Crapo
Idahoans care deeply about our public lands. These lands support recreation, conservation, local economies and tribal heritage. They should be managed well for the benefit of current and future generations.
Public lands face a growing maintenance backlog, which affects roads, bridges, campgrounds, boat ramps, water systems, visitor facilities and trails. The Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF) uses a self-sustaining funding model that reinvests 50 percent of federal energy royalties (monies collected from oil, gas, coal and renewable development) back into our public lands.
In Idaho alone, the LRF invested over $86 million in more than 100 U.S. Forest Service projects spanning all seven of Idaho’s national forests. The U.S. Department of the Interior invested an additional $82.9 million in Idaho across 16 projects and improved more than 100 assets statewide from 2020 to 2025.
The LRF lapsed at the end of September 2025. I have co-sponsored the America the Beautiful Act to reauthorize the program through 2033 to address the maintenance backlog on federal lands as the nation prepares to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary this year.
Renewing the LRF will help ensure vital repair work continues in Idaho and across the nation, without adding any additional tax burden to Americans. Read more about the bill, as well as statements of support from Idaho’s public lands, conservation and recreation groups on my website HERE.
Preserving Multiple-Use Mandate
The Biden-era Bureau of Land Management (BLM) committed serious government overreach by issuing the onerous “Conservation and Landscape Health Rule.” This rule directly conflicted with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA). FLMPA explicitly directed federal lands be managed for “multiple-use,” protecting the environment while serving the public good with regard to economies driven by recreation, timber, agriculture, energy production, mining and tribal culture.
The uncertain times in which we live make it essential we maximize our domestic critical mineral production, maintain a high level of energy production, supply lumber in a time of a severe affordable housing shortage, prevent and manage catastrophic wildfires and feed the world.
These multiple uses in today’s world are all conducted with environmental protection and conservation as a mandated objective. The Biden-era rule would have favored “conservation” to the detriment of those other critical multiple uses.
I joined legislation that would block the rule and urged the BLM to withdraw the rule.
Thankfully, President Trump and U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum recently rescinded the onerous rule. Once again, the Trump Administration has taken decisive action to restore commonsense, effective multiple-use land management policies.
Watch me talk about this rule on The Ranch Podcast by clicking the image below.
Supporting Rural Idaho Communities
The Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program is a vital lifeline to Idaho’s rural counties containing large tracts of federally owned, tax-exempt forest lands. I pressed for reauthorization of the program through Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 and am exploring long-term solutions that would provide more certainty to rural communities.
In April, I joined Idaho State Treasurer Julie Ellsworth and the other members of the Idaho Congressional Delegation to announce Idaho will receive a total of $24 million in SRS payments for Fiscal Year 2025.
Under Idaho law, 30 percent of SRS funding goes to counties to help fund schools, and the remaining 70 percent supports roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure projects.
Additionally, the U.S. Forest Service recently moved forward with reestablishing SRS Resource Advisory Committees (RACs) and soliciting nominations for membership. RACs help provide local input and recommendations for Title II projects involving forest restoration, watershed improvements, roads, trails and other community priorities on National Forest System lands. More information on membership and how to submit a nomination can be found HERE.
In December, I posed a question to the readers of this newsletter: “Do you agree the federal government should pay its share for essential services (law enforcement, roads, schools, etc.) in areas where the community cannot generate tax revenue because of federal land ownership?” More than 83 percent of respondents said, “yes.”Read more about recent SRS allocations on my website HERE.
About Mike Crapo
Senator Mike Crapo has represented Idaho in the Senate since 1999, following three terms in the U.S. House and eight years in the Idaho State Senate. A lifelong Idahoan, he currently serves as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.
